Misnomers in medicine

Current U.S. health care insurance policies make a distinction in their coverage of diseases that affect the body and mind.

A disease is a disease. Disease process often impacts the entire body. The brain, gut, nervous system, and immune system are intricately interconnected. Enough about mental hygiene — a term coined in the 1800s, which then morphed to "mental health" and more recently "mental illness." It is moving in the right direction as the onus is no longer placed entirely on the individual to improve their state of mental health.

The sciences, including medicine, are rife with problematic terminology. Words matter.

Let us begin by changing the language and see what follows. No distinction is needed between mental and physical illness. Diseases of the brain and nervous system are physical!

"Mental" is an antonym for the word "physical." This opposing language reflects a tension that is present in health care.

The old trope of a mind and body disconnect is nonsense—the head cannot live without the body and the body cannot be sustained without the brain. The Cartesean philosophy of Descartes, with a distinct mind, body, and soul, is ingrained in Western thought. The three distinctions embody religious underpinnings that haunt our medical terminology and place a barrier to reimagining disease as a whole-body experience.

Evidence-based medicine is needed in the mental health field. We need a total do-over. Integrative medicine and a whole-body focus are the new models. The fields of psychology and psychiatry are gradually being transformed as our understanding of the biological mechanisms and genetic influences of diseases that primarily impact the nervous system and brain becomes clearer.

Diseases that affect the brain and nervous system are not a smoke cloud, not a choice, and not only a mental illness.

Recommended reading

American Psychological Association. Does Your Insurance Cover Mental Health Services?